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Planning panel recommends 21‑lot Trailside Preserve preliminary plat amid traffic and water concerns
Summary
The Crow Wing County Planning Commission Board of Adjustment recommended approval to the County Board of a 21‑lot preliminary plat (Trailside Preserve). Neighbors raised traffic, density and septic/runoff concerns; the board noted rezoning decisions remain with the County Board, which will consider the plat Dec. 16.
The Crow Wing County Planning Commission Board of Adjustment on Nov. 20 recommended approval to the County Board of the preliminary plat for Trailside Preserve, a 21‑lot subdivision proposed by Rand Group LLC adjacent to Gilbert Lake and Sandberg Road.
Staff presented the plat and told the board the property sits in the 1st Assessment unorganized territory and was rezoned to Rural Residential 1 as part of the county’s comprehensive‑plan updates in 2023–24. Staff said the submission includes a proposed Trailside Court with a cul‑de‑sac, two septic sites per lot and a walkway easement to the Paul Bunyan Trail. "This proposal, as submitted, meets all ordinance requirements," staff said during the presentation.
Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing raised a range of concerns. Several residents said the proposed 21 lots would increase traffic at a single outlet onto Wise Road and into a recently reconfigured intersection. One resident said the neighborhood has 47 properties served by one outlet and that adding 21 lots would "jam" the intersection and likely create future costs for safety improvements. Others asked whether new wells for each lot would affect the local water table and whether increased rooftops and driveways would worsen seasonal flooding; one resident said spring flooding brings water within about 0.75 of his structure.
Applicant Andrew Randweiler responded that engineering by KLD will manage stormwater, with runoff directed to four ponds, and that each lot will have an individual well. Randweiler said Highway Department traffic reviews have been completed and that he would "love to see" a completed house+lot price south of $500,000 but estimated a realistic target of about $400,000–$500,000 for the lot+house package.
Board members emphasized that lot‑size/zoning changes are the County Board’s purview, not the board’s. After discussing standard conditions and findings staff prepared, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of Trailside Preserve with the staff findings and conditions; the motion carried by voice vote. The County Board will take up the final decision on Dec. 16, 2025.
The board’s recommendation does not finalize design details or ultimate sale prices; applicants must satisfy conditions and obtain required permits before final plat approval is filed with Land Services.
